The present invention relates to improvements in housings for radiator systems, most particularly for hydronic baseboard systems of the general type disclosed, for example, in U.S. Pat. No. 3,386,501. Such housings enclose a length of water-circulation conduit, such as copper piping, upon which is mounted an assembly of closely-spaced thin aluminum fins, to provide a heat-radiator along the baseboard of a room to be heated. Hot water circulated through the conduit, from a furnace boiler, conducts heat to the fins which transfer heat to the ambient air flowing between the fins. The heated air rises up out of the fins and is displaced by cooler air drawn between the fins from below.
In conventional hydronic baseboard heating systems, the conduit length and fin assembly is contained within a radiator housing which is open at the bottom and contains a manually-adjustable hinged or pivotable damper at the top. In rooms or areas of rooms where less heat is desired or required, the damper of the radiator heating such rooms or areas can be closed manually to block the rise and escape of heated air from the housing, thereby blocking the circulation of cooler ambient air into the housing, reducing the transfer of heat from the conduit and permitting the heating water to return to the furnace boiler at a higher temperature. This conserves the amount of energy required to maintain the boiler at a temperature necessary to heat the other rooms of the house, and also maintains some of the rooms or areas cooler, as desired.
Baseboard systems are available in which the individual radiators contain valve means for preventing the circulation of hot water through the length of conduit thereof to completely bypass one or more radiators in a heating system. Such valved systems are expensive and the valves thereof are subject to malfunction. Also such valved systems are disadvantageous because they prevent any heat from entering the radiator, when the valves are closed, whereby no heat enters the room. In cases of extreme cold, the water within the isolated water conduit or copper piping can freeze and burst the piping on expansion.
While radiator systems having manually-operative dampers are less expensive and more trouble-free than valved radiator systems, they generally are not used to their full potential because many people are unaware of the function of the dampers, or the dampers become stuck and non-movable with age or due to painting, More commonly, the dampers are inaccessible due to the presence of large pieces of furniture in front of the baseboard radiators.